The World You'll Create
by Mischel
Summary: Based on the episode 4x07 The Secret Sharer - Gwen talks to Arthur again, and in the end Arthur follows Merlin and Gwaine into the Ridge of Kemaray to save Gaius, discovering that Agravaine is a traitor in the process. Written for the Merlin Canon Fest 2018.


**First of all, I want to thank the Merlin Canon Fest mods for doing this again this year because I enjoyed it last year and I enjoyed participating this year too! And special thanks to Camelittle for agreeing to beta this fanfic! Thanks!**

 **I hope you all enjoy the fanfic! :)**

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 **THE WORLD YOU'LL CREATE**

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Arthur sat at his table, both his elbows resting on the surface and his hands supporting his heavy chin. His chambers were empty and quiet. Too quiet.

There was something troubling his mind.

Gaius.

Arthur closed his eyes – he still couldn't believe that Gaius, of all people, would betray him and return to the Old Religion. That man practically raised him, watched over him since he was a little prince, and yet . . .

The books and now his sudden disappearance along with his belongings . . . it left no room for doubt.

After the questioning, Gaius must have realised he'd be better off elsewhere than in Camelot. Nevertheless, Arthur was still in shock. Gaius had always been loyal to the kingdom.

And now he left Camelot, he left _Merlin,_ without as much as a goodbye.

What was Arthur supposed to do though? He'd never want to hunt him down, he'd rather let him go. Even if Gaius seemed to have returned to the old practices of magic, he'd never want to harm him, or Merlin.

Right?

Arthur took a deep breath and sighed loudly. Being a king was full of surprises and responsibilities. He didn't know what he'd do without his uncle helping him on every step.

He had only just opened his eyes when he heard a light knock on the door – which is how he knew it wasn't Merlin. He never bothered to knock.

"Enter," he called, clearing his throat and putting his hands down on the table.

The door opened and Gwen entered.

Arthur relaxed again.

"Guinevere," he smiled lightly – although with the problems and revelations he was facing now, it proved to be rather difficult.

"Arthur." Gwen didn't smile as she closed the door. She went closer to the table, not touching it, just looking down at the troubled king. She bit her lower lip, which is how Arthur knew she was nervous about talking to him.

This was about Gaius then.

"I went to see Merlin," she told him.

Arthur swallowed. He'd seen the tears in Merlin's eyes in the throne room, and he regretted shouting at him, but Merlin had purposely shifted the blame from Gaius to Agravaine, without any proof. That wasn't okay.

"How is he?" Arthur asked quietly, his eyes still fixed on the table.

"He's crying."

Arthur had to close his eyes again to process it. He knew how much Gaius meant to Merlin, and he understood his distress, but what was he supposed to do? Gaius had _fled_ from Camelot.

"Arthur, I think . . . I think you should consider all the alternative explanations for what could have happened." Gwen suggested, her voice not as strong as usual.

He knew that she was doing this for Merlin and also for Gaius, but she also respected Arthur as her king and probably didn't want to directly tell him what to do.

"What else is there to consider?" He looked up at her. "Gaius lied when my uncle interrogated him. The knights found several books on magic in his chambers and now one of our horses is gone, as well as Gaius and his belongings."

Gwen pursed her lips. "That doesn't mean that he left willingly. We cannot assume that the first thing that came to our minds is true."

"What do we assume then?" He knew she was thinking about his uncle. "That my uncle made all of this up?"

Gwen pursed her lips again as she went silent. He knew she didn't want to accuse his uncle of anything, but he also knew that Merlin was her friend and she wanted to help him.

Even if that meant talking about this with him again.

"I trust Merlin," she said after a while. "Don't you?"

Arthur opened his mouth and then closed it again. Merlin was his dearest friend and to be completely honest, even if he'd never admit it to Merlin himself, he was willing to die for him.

But he was blaming Agravaine. The last family Arthur had left . . .

Arthur sighed. "I do trust him, Gwen. You know that." He looked up at her. "But Agravaine is my uncle. He's my _family._ "

"Morgana was once too."

Arthur frowned as he looked away. Gwen had a point. Before he could say anything else though, she turned around and silently left his chambers, leaving him to the silence and his own thoughts.

Gwen always knew exactly what to say, didn't she?

Arthur took a deep breath and stood up from the table. He started pacing, thinking about everything he might be missing.

Could it be true? Was he assuming Gaius had left because Agravaine had given him that thought? Was he accepting it because blaming Agravaine was something he was unintentionally refusing to do? Was he excluding Agravaine from the interrogation because he feared the possibility of him being the traitor?

He didn't know if he could take it – being betrayed by his family, _again._

But Merlin has been a loyal friend to him for almost six years now. Whereas he hadn't really met his uncle until a few months ago.

If Agravaine really was the traitor and Merlin was right about this . . . Perhaps Arthur should at least consider it.

He owned Merlin that much.

Arthur stopped pacing and closed his eyes again. When he opened them, a decision had been made.

Without further ado, the king left his chambers.

xoXÖXox

One heavy step after another, Arthur finally made it to the tower where Merlin . . . and _Gaius_ lived together. He hadn't been there after the thorough search, but he had a pretty vivid image of what that place looked like now in his mind. He'd seen it before – tidy and nice before the knights came, and then it's just a disaster with half the things broken.

He took a deep breath as he came to a stop in front of the door. He raised his hand to knock- but realised that he could hear voices.

One of them was Merlin, and – he narrowed his eyes as he focused – the other voice belonged to Gwaine.

"Where?" He heard Merlin ask.

"In the Ridge of Kemaray. They've been hewing iron from the rocks there for hundreds of years."

What were they talking about?

Arthur shook his head and finally knocked.

The voices stopped, but he didn't hear a _come in._ He opened the door anyway, and when he saw Merlin's face – he realised Merlin must have known it would be him.

"Merlin," Arthur started, but nothing else left his mouth. That was when he realised he didn't actually know what to say or how to approach this issue. Did Merlin even want to talk to him?

"We're busy, Arthur," Merlin dismissed him as he looked back at Gwaine, who had a light smile on his face.

"What are you doing then?" Arthur asked, mere seconds before he realised what a stupid question that was. He could see the room and the state it was in – Gwaine was probably helping Merlin clean up – being there for Merlin when Arthur couldn't be.

But instead of rolling his eyes at Arthur in anger, Merlin sighed and brushed his dirty finger on his trousers. Arthur frowned when Gwaine did the same with his finger.

"We're going after Gaius," Merlin finally answered, just as he stood up and started packing a few seemingly random things into his backpack.

Arthur frowned. "You don't even know where he went-"

"He was _kidnapped_ Arthur," Merlin told him. There were tears in his eyes, Arthur could see that.

"You don't know that," Arthur pursed his lips. He was trying to be supportive, but from his point of view, the possibility of Gaius having been kidnapped was far less likely than him running away.

"well, you don't know if he really left Camelot on his own." Merlin pointed out as he closed his backpack.

"We're going to find out," Gwaine added, nodding at Arthur.

"All we're going to find out is that Agravaine kidnapped him," Merlin mumbled under his breath, loud enough for Arthur to hear him.

And Arthur was really trying to be supportive and listening to what Gwen had told him, but Merlin was being unreasonable. He was emotionally biased, just like Arthur might have been.

And accusing Agravaine without any proof was worse than assuming Gaius had left when the evidence proved it.

"Agravaine is my loyal advisor, Merlin, he's not a traitor." Arthur couldn't help but defend his uncle.

Despite the tears in Merlin's eyes, he looked angry when he looked at Arthur. "Do you also have proof for that?" he asked, stopping for a few seconds. When Arthur didn't immediately respond, Merlin shook his head. "No? Didn't think so."

Then he went around Arthur and stormed out the door.

"You can't just accuse him without proof either!" Arthur called after him. "And I'm the king, you can't talk to me like that, Merlin!"

But Merlin was already walking down the stairs, not listening to Arthur.

Arthur turned to Gwaine, who still remained in the room with a grim expression. He was a loyal friend to Merlin, Arthur knew that. And if they wanted to go search for Gaius, he wouldn't stop them.

"My lord," Gwaine nodded at him, and after Arthur returned the curt nod, the knight also left and followed Merlin out of the tower.

Arthur let out a loud sigh as he turned around towards the room – it was a mess. Some of the books were open, most of them were lying on the floor as well as many papers that must have been hidden between the pages. Gaius' potions and different flasks and other medicinal or science equipment lying on the table, floor, benches – broken.

He didn't have to do this to this place. He could have just told Agravaine that Gaius was trustworthy and didn't have to have his chambers searched through – especially after his experience with the witchfinder.

But he didn't.

He listened to his uncle and simply let this happen.

It seemed like the right thing to do, but staring at this room now . . . Arthur wasn't so sure.

He did this.

He did this to Merlin, and to Gaius.

And he needed to repair this. But first, he needed to talk to his uncle and resolve the issue of Merlin acusing him of everything that went wrong in this kingdom.

Agravaine didn't deserve this.

Right?

xoXÖXox

After some time, Arthur found himself in front of his uncle's chambers. He paused for a moment to think about what he was about to do, but – talking about this was inevitable. He desperately wanted Merlin to get on with Agravaine. And if he didn't get some proof that his uncle was innocent, that would never happen.

He raised his hand and once again found himself about to knock.

He knocked.

"Uncle?" He knocked again, but silence was his only answer. Suspicion filled Arthur's mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Agravaine didn't have to be in his chambers at all times. He was a free man and could be anywhere in the castle or the kingdom, where he pleased.

Still, it made Arthur think. Now that his uncle was gone, should he . . . should he enter his chambers without his permission?

It seemed wrong . . . but Arthur _was_ the king, and he had to settle this quarrel between Merlin and his uncle for once and for all.

He sighed and gently took the handle, finally pushing the doors open – it wasn't locked, thankfully. Once inside, Arthur closed the door again and took a look around.

It was like always – his uncle's chambers and nothing weird about it. He hadn't been inside that many times, but he knew what it looked like in there.

With another sigh, he started searching. He looked through Agravaine's closets – nothing but clothes, naturally – and briefly through his belongings on his writing desk and his bedside table – nothing out of the ordinary.

Merlin must have been wrong.

Arthur was just about to leave the chambers when he turned around and looked at one last place he could think of – under the bed.

There was a little chest hidden there, but that wasn't strange – Arthur himself kept most of his money in a chest under his bed – a fact, of which he was sure Merlin was aware.

After a moment of thinking this through in his head, he finally reached for the chest and pulled it closer to him. Most certainly, there was money inside anyway, and it was probably locked.

But when Arthur inspected the chest, he noticed that it wasn't locked . . .

Well, that wasn't that strange either. Perhaps he simply didn't use this chest to store valuable things and it only contained . . . socks?

Arthur closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He shouldn't be here, but he was here anyway. He shouldn't open the chest, but – he opened it anyway.

And revealed a pile of books, books about . . . _sorcery._

 _Oh no . . ._

Arthur's throat closed up as the realisation came to him. Had Merlin been right? All this time? Had Agravaine hoarded books on magic because he was a sorcerer?

How did Arthur _not_ know about this?

How did he- how-

He kept staring at the opened chest for good five minutes before he finally closed it and shoved it back under the bed, out of his sight.

He couldn't believe this.

He'd been listening to Agravaine's advice about _everything_ and yet, all along, he was the traitor. He was _manipulating_ him.

And it happened again – another member of his family betrayed him. First Morgana, now Agravaine. Gwen was right. And so was Merlin.

Arthur hadn't listened to them, he hadn't listened to Merlin when he had voiced his suspicions, he hadn't listened. He wasn't a good friend – what kind of friend didn't listen to his friends' concerns? What kind of king ignored what the ones closest to him were saying?

Perhaps he'd never be a good king . . .

He should have trusted Merlin and he shouldn't have dismissed him so quickly and with such a temper.

Because he was right all along – Gaius must have been innocent.

With newfound energy, Arthur rose to his feet and stormed out of the rooms. He needed to find that traitor, but first of all – he needed to help Merlin and Gwaine find Gaius and save him.

Mere moments later, he was on his horse, riding out of Camelot.

xoXÖXox

At first, Arthur wasn't sure where to go when he found himself outside the city gates. But then it hit him – the Ridge of Kemaray. It's what Gwaine and Merlin had been talking about before he'd walked in, and when they were leaving, they both seemed so sure of where to go.

It had to be the place.

And if Gaius was really there, if he really had been kidnapped, Arthur would save him. And then apologise, both to him and to Merlin, for ever doubting them.

Arthur kicked his horse to move faster and entered the forest with determination.

xoXÖXox

It was already getting dark when Arthur finally found Merlin and Gwaine's horses. They were both tied to trees just outside the ridge that they must have already entered. Arthur dismounted his horse and tied it to a tree next to them, realising he would have to continue on his own.

But he was prepared to face any challenges to save Gaius. And Merlin – if the people who had kidnapped Gaius were still there.

From the distance, he could see a little cave with a light inside – someone must have just entered it, and he hoped that it was Merlin with Gwaine.

Arthur knew he had to hurry up, seeing as they were both already inside the save.

He followed the quickly fading light of the cave, regretting that he hadn't thought to bring a torch on his own. But he had to make do.

After half an hour, he finally reached the cave – it had been a difficult journey because of all the rocks hiding in the dark, but he made it. He entered the cave and found a torch, lighting it on fire with his tinderbox that he carried on him at all times.

He couldn't see anyone. It seemed as if the cave was empty, but he'd seen someone enter a while ago, so that had to be _someone_. If that was Merlin with Gwaine or Gaius' kidnappers, that was unknown to him.

Arthur continued slowly with the torch in one hand, the other ever-present on the hilt of his sword – ready to attack.

But there was no one. Not another light from another torch anywhere he went, until – he heard voices.

One of them was Gwaine, the other belonged to . . . _Agravaine._

A frown settled on Arthur's face as he gripped the torch tighter and followed the voices, going faster.

He had to put an end to this.

"Then how did you know he was here?" He heard Gwaine ask.

"Guards at the western gate saw you and Merlin leave. Knowing Merlin's concern for Gaius, I thought it must be some new information at hand. So, I just followed your trail." Agravaine answered.

Arthur was getting closer, and closer still.

"You agree he was abducted, then?"

"Yes, of course he was. Now, we must get him back to Camelot without delay. Come on."

He could see the light from where Gwaine and Agravaine were standing.

"We have to find Merlin first."

"No!"

"Agravaine!" Arthur finally found his way to the room.

He drew his sword and pointed it at his uncle. Gwaine immediately mimicked his action, standing beside Arthur.

"Arthur!" Agravaine frowned at them. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving Gaius-"

"Well, then, that's two of u-"

"From _you._ " Arthur frowned at him.

Agravaine returned the frown, appearing confused. "Arthur, what are you talking about? Are you mad? Gaius was kidnapped and we need to rush him back to-"

"I found him here with a blade on Gaius' throat," Gwaine informed him. "He claimed he was checking his breath."

Agravaine's eyes kept jumping from Gwaine to Arthur until they finally settled on the king.

"I _was_ checking his breath. And if we don't hurry, I'm afraid he won't-"

"I found your books!" Arthur finally told Agravaine why he was really here. "I found your books on sorcery under your bed! How do you plan to explain that, uncle?"

That seemed to take Agravaine aback. He was quiet for a moment before he sighed. "Those were Gaius' books," he said. "What, do you think I'm a sorcerer now?"

"How do I know that you're not?" Arthur asked him, his voice full of anger. "Why did you hide those forbidden books under your bed?"

Agravaine smiled at him briefly, as if the answer was obvious. Then he frowned at Arthur in confusion, as if confused how Arthur didn't know the answer.

"And where else was I supposed to put them? On the table? Where any passing maid might see them and panic? Spread the news?"

Arthur paused for a moment, thinking about this. Agravaine was right – he didn't want the news to spread throughout the city and if a random servant saw books on magic inside the castle, that wouldn't help. But Agravaine must have been- he must have-

Was he making a mistake? So far Agravaine had given him an explanation for everything that Arthur was asking.

Was it possible that he was wrong?

What was really happening? Who was the traitor? And was there a traitor at all?

Arthur's grip on the sword faltered as he hesitated.

But Gwaine's remained strong.

"Arthur, there's more," he told him. Arthur nodded at him, still eyeing his uncle suspiciously. "The reason Merlin and I came here is because Merlin had found iron ore on Agravaine's boots. That was _before_ he came here to look for Gaius."

Arthur's last hopes died with that information. And Agravaine's eyes widened.

"That means . . . that Agravaine has been here before us and then returned to Camelot. He . . . he knew Gaius was here and didn't save him. You," Arthur's grip on his sword tightened again and he made a step forward. " _You_ did this. You helped kidnap Gaius, and you were plotting against me and Camelot all along!"

Agravaine was silent, probably thinking of what to say to defend himself, but at this point, there was nothing Arthur would accept. Just the fact that Agravaine had to think about it to make up a new explanation proved that he was not innocent.

Arthur had found the traitor.

In the end, it was the man who had asked him to start looking for a traitor in the first place.

Full of anger, Arthur swung his sword at his uncle, but Agravaine managed to whip out a sword of his own and block the blow.

"Arthur, this is ridiculous-"

"You betrayed your family!" Arthur shouted at him as he once again used his sword on his own uncle.

"Arthur!" he heard Gwaine behind him. "We need to help Gaius!"

Arthur's and Agravaine's swords met in between them and they stilled. Arthur's breath was short and deep, and Agravaine's eyes lost their confusion. Instead, he was smirking now.

"You never deserved the throne," he told him.

"Arthur!" Gwaine called, already checking on the old physician.

"You're just like your father, Arthur," Agravaine continued. "You're the reason Ygraine is dead!"

Arthur gritted his teeth as he stepped back, knocked Agravaine's sword out of his hands and pointed his own sword at his neck. Agravaine fell on his back and stared up at him, suddenly terrified.

"You're banished," Arthur told him when he realised he could never kill him. He was still his mother's brother. "Never return to Camelot, or I'll take your life."

He stared at him for a moment, trying to keep the tears in his eyes at bay, before he finally stepped back. He took Agravaine's sword and his dagger and looked at him one last time.

"Go." It was an order. His voice was filled with anger and hurt. "Go or I'll kill you right here."

He watched as Agravaine stood up and backed away into the shadows of the cave, hopefully never to be seen again. Only then Arthur let out a sigh of both relief and hurt and turned to Gaius.

Gwaine stared at him, already holding the physician by his shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

Arthur simply nodded – he couldn't give an answer to that right now. "Come on, we can't waste more time."

Gwaine gave him a nod in return and together with Arthur's help, they managed to lift Gaius into a sitting position and then get him out of the cave room.

xoXÖXox

It took them nearly half an hour to finally get Gaius safely outside. He hadn't woken up, but occasionally he mumbled something. Arthur felt incredibly guilty when he saw him like that, but all he could do was get him back to Camelot right now.

"Where's Merlin?" he asked once they sat Gaius down and let him lean against the cave wall in the dark.

Gwaine knelt down next to Gaius and held him to support his weight. Then he looked up at Arthur. "I don't know, we split up."

"We need to find him," Arthur sighed as he started going back to the entrance.

"Gaius needs to stay here!" Gwaine called after him. "I'll stay here with him, but we don't have much time!"

"I won't be long!" Arthur called as he yet again entered the cave.

He lit up a new torch and walked fast through the already familiar cave hall. He didn't meet Agravaine and he didn't meet anyone who had kidnapped Gaius, so he only hoped that they'd already disappeared. They might have noticed someone had come to save Gaius and fled.

After a couple of minutes, he saw light in front of him.

"Merlin?" he whispered.

He slowed down and proceeded with caution, in case it was someone else.

"Merlin?"

He heard a voice – but he didn't recognise it. A frown settled on his face – did he have to save Merlin too, now? But as he carefully rounded the corner and pointed his sword and torch in front of him-

The only one who stood there was Merlin, turning towards him. And a dark figure in the back, gone in a blink of an eye.

Arthur stood there, confused.

"Arthur?" Merlin brought him back into reality with his voice. "What are you doing here? Why are you pointing that sword at me?"

Arthur blinked and lowered his sword. "I . . . " he shook his head – it was probably just a shadow, nothing to worry about. Merlin was safe and standing right in front of him, so he focused only on him. "I found Gwaine and Gaius. They're safe outside, but we need to go."

Merlin's eyes filled with relief and happiness instantly. He smiled up at Arthur and nodded. "Then let's go!"

They walked back together through the halls, Arthur still holding the torch and the sword already back in its scabbard.

They walked in silence.

"Thank you for coming here," Merlin told him after a while.

Arthur sighed silently – Merlin had nothing to be grateful for. He had been right all along, and he shouldn't thank him for this. Arthur should have listened to him.

"Don't mention it," he replied in the end.

A few moments after that, the exited the cave and entered the darkness outside. Gwaine was still sitting there, holding Gaius.

"Arthur? Merlin?"

"We're here," Arthur called as they walked towards the knight and the physician.

"Thank god," Gwaine smiled. He carefully stood up, holding Gaius' arm. "We need to go back to Camelot, Gaius is weak."

"Gaius!" Merlin smiled as he rushed over to his guardian. He knelt down next to him, tears in eyes, and hand already on his neck to feel for a pulse. Once he was assured Gaius was alive, he closed his eyes briefly and took a steadying breath.

"Gaius?" he touched his face lightly. "Can you hear me?"

"He's still unconscious," Gwaine pointed out. "We need to get him to Camelot."

Merlin nodded as he stared at Gaius, eyes still brimming with tears. "Alright, hurry up." He didn't take his eyes off the old man.

Arthur rushed over to Gaius' side and helped Gwaine lift him up. Merlin took the torch from him to guide the way, and together they all started to walk up towards the horses. There were only three horses for the four of them so that meant someone would have to take Gaius on their horse – they couldn't afford to waste time with one of them walking. Besides, Gaius wouldn't be able to ride by himself.

As they finally reached the animals, they all had already realised that. In the end, even after they'd found another horse – Agravaine's – it was Merlin who took Gaius on his horse and held him tightly.

Without further ado, they all set off towards Camelot.

xoXÖXox

Several hours later, after another conversation with Gwen and some sleep, Arthur finally found himself on his way towards the physician's tower again.

He knocked before he entered, and just like he'd expected, he found Merlin sitting by Gaius' bed, both talking.

Arthur hadn't had the time to apologise to Merlin yet, or to talk to him about anything that had happened, but right now, he was there for Gaius.

"Merlin, will you give us a moment?" Arthur asks when Merlin turns to look at him.

"Does that mean I get the morning off?"

Arthur was glad to see how cheerful Merlin was again. It didn't change the fact that Merlin had every right to be upset with him.

"Yes," Arthur smiled at him. "Yes, you can have the morning off to . . . clean my chambers, polish my armour, and launder my clothes."

Merlin turned to him again, still smiling. "You certainly know how to apologise."

Arthur just shrugged at him with a smile, knowing well that a better apology was coming later in the day. Right now, he needed to talk to Gaius.

Once Merlin left, Arthur sat down where Merlin had been sitting and took Gaius' weak hand.

"Are you alright?" he asked, the tears in his eyes from before returning.

Gaius sighed. "I'm just glad it's all over."

"I've made a mistake," Arthur admitted. He never should have trusted Agravaine. He should have trusted his friends instead.

"I've looked after you since you were a nurseling, Arthur. You should've known I love you far too much ever to betray you." Gaius told him.

He was right. And Arthur had never felt more ashamed.

"I'm sorry, Gaius." He looked down. "I'm grateful that you're okay."

"You helped save me," Gaius pointed out with a slight smile. "I should thank you."

"There's no need for that," Arthur shook his head with a smile. Gaius had always been loyal and he had always been there for them. How could Arthur have ever thought he was a traitor?

Gaius just smiled at him and they stared at each other for a moment, with mutual understanding.

But then Arthur's smile faltered. "But there's a matter that still concerns me," he admitted, looking into Gaius' eyes carefully. "There were books of magic found in your possessions." He knew it could have been Agravaine who'd planted them there – after all, he did find a chest full of them under his very bed. But curiosity took over, and Arthur still asked this question. "Were they yours?"

Gaius shook his head slowly. "I burned all my books about sorcery many years ago." Arthur felt some of the tension leave his shoulders as he listened to that. "All but one."

Arthur looked up, confused.

"I kept one as a reminder of the old times," Gaius admitted as he kept looking into Arthur's eyes. "But I haven't used it in over twenty years."

Arthur nodded, relieved. He understood Gaius – he himself didn't read often, but he did keep some books in his chambers as a reminder of his childhood. Keeping books about magic was forbidden, but he trusted Gaius when he said he didn't use it. He was the king after all, and he could make an exception.

He nodded again at the old man.

And opened his mouth for one last question. "I think I understand that," he said. "But there's one more thing . . . When you were asked about the sorcerer who killed my father . . . you lied."

Gaius closed his eyes briefly and swallowed. Arthur watched him as Gaius finally nodded. "I did, sire."

Arthur didn't know what to think now. "You admit it?"

"I chose to protect him," Gaius looked up at him with nothing but honesty in his voice. "I feared you would seek him out and execute him. That would have been a grave mistake. The sorcerer did not kill your father. Uther was dying. He tried everything in his power to save him."

Arthur listened with difficulty to the words, but he listened.

Gaius sighed. "Contained within this great kingdom is a rich variety of people with a range of different beliefs. I'm not the only one seeking to protect you," Gaius told him. "There are many more who believe in the world you are trying to create. One day you will learn, Arthur. One day you will understand . . . just how much they've done for you."

xoXÖXox

Yet again, Arthur sat in his chambers, thinking - alone with his thoughts and the events of what had happened in the last few days.

He'd seen and talked to Gaius only a few hours ago, and since then he'd already had to attend a council meeting, concerning Agravaine's betrayal. Not many people knew about that yet, but he knew that Merlin did.

When the door opened without a knock, Arthur didn't even have to look up to see who it was. Merlin must have been done with his chores, or he was here for his clothes to finish them.

"Arthur," he heard the familiar voice.

"Merlin, I need to apologise," Arthur said, his voice firm, as he finally looked up at his servant and friend – best friend.

He could see that Merlin was stifling a witty and most likely an insulting comment about Arthur apologising – instead, he swallowed and nodded.

"You don't owe me an apology, you've already apologised to Gaius."

Arthur wasn't surprised to see how loyal Merlin was to the physician, but did he not know about Agravaine? Did he not know that Arthur had banished him?

"Merlin," Arthur sighed as he stood up from the table and went closer to him. "This isn't why I'm apologising to you . . . You were right."

"About?" Merlin asked with a smile. "I'm right about a lot of things."

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You were right about Agravaine."

Merlin's smile disappeared as he heard Arthur's reply. So he didn't know about it.

Arthur nodded to let Merlin know he was serious and continued. "I went to talk to him after you and Gwaine left the castle. And . . . I found a chest, full of-"

"Book about magic?" Merlin asked.

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "How did you know that?"

"I was in his chambers earlier, to search for something to help me find Gaius," Merlin explained.

Arthur sighed. "Merlin, you can't just enter any room without perm-"

Merlin groaned slightly to stop him. "Can we return to your apology? Besides, you were in his chambers too."

"But I'm the king!"

"Arthur," Merlin raised his eyebrows.

Arthur took a deep breath and nodded. Apologising to Merlin was just as painful as listening to him complaining about everything around him.

But he had to do this.

"Yes, I found those books about magic and I followed you to the Ridge of Kemaray. There I found Agravaine with Gaius and Gwaine, and I banished him."

When he looked up at Merlin again, his friend's face had softened.

"I'm sorry, Arthur."

Arthur didn't know if he was up to this right now. He wasn't sure he was ready to talk about the painful betrayal of his own uncle, the last member of his family who he'd thought loved him. But Merlin was right there in front of him, doing the same thing Gwen had done the day before.

He placed his hand on Arthur's shoulder and looked into his eyes. "Will you be alright?" he asked gently.

Arthur wanted to shake that hand off his shoulder and dismiss that question. But he'd already dismissed it when Gwaine had asked him about it in the cave. A moment passed, and Merlin's hand was still on his shoulder.

Arthur decided to leave it there.

"I will be," he sighed. "Eventually," he added.

He didn't know how else to talk about this. He didn't know how to show to Merlin that he cared about his presence and his opinions. But he should have shown him and trusted him sooner.

Merlin nodded and squeezed his shoulder. "Just . . . Don't doubt yourself, Arthur. You're doing a great job at being a king so far, and you'll only get better."

That brought a smile to Arthur's face. Merlin knew him, and he knew exactly what Arthur needed to hear.

"Thank you, Merlin. I appreciate it."

"Even if Agravaine betrayed you, Gaius, Gwen, your knights and I will always be here for you, whenever you need us. We all believe in the world you are trying to create," Merlin said, perhaps taking this whole _emotional conversation_ too far, but Arthur let him speak. "One day, you'll understand."

Arthur frowned slightly, but then a smile returned to his face. "Funny, Gaius told me the same thing this morning."

Merlin let go of his shoulder and nodded with a grin. "Then you know that he's there for you, too."

Arthur nodded as well. "That I do know, indeed."

They stayed there, just looking at each other and appreciating this moment in each other's company for a few more seconds before they finally got to work and everything went back to normal.

Merlin picked up a basket and started collecting Arthur's dirty clothes, and Arthur sat down at his table and started going through a pile of papers that Merlin had left there for him earlier.

Camelot was safe again, without any traitors, and apparently, with a lot of people willing to be there for the king.

One step closer to becoming the fair and just kingdom that everyone dreamed of.

 **.**

 **THE END**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**

 **This fanfic is also posted on AO3, where instead of "xoXÖXox" there's a small picture of two swords wrapped in flowers that I drew for the fanfic. Go check it out if you want! ;)**

 **AO3 - archiveofourown DOT org /w** **orks/16243718**


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